Woo-Hoo, Fuji X-T2

In any decent fireworks show, some rockets and starbursts are bigger than others. And the crowd goes OOOoooooooh.

Usually there's a pause before the big one goes off, to build anticipation. But you already knew it was coming.

Now the big one bursts in the sky, momentarily dazzling the crowd...the Fuji X-T2 has arrived. Fuji's flagship SLR-style mirrorless camera, following on the superbly updated, refined, and improved X-Pro2 rangefinder-style mirrorless camera that got here a few months ago.

Besides the new joystick, double card slots, and 24 megapixels, and the way the viewing screen flips up, the big news is all centered around video, focus tracking, and shooting speed, as Fuji bids for more professionals. As befits its flagship camera body.

More commentary soon (I'll post tomorrow afternoon, before we take off for the weekend). Here's the link to all the cool new stuff.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2016 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Stephen Scharf: "Man, this company just gets it. All the key features folks care about are notably improved: resolution, EVF, AF system, card slots, and even better knobs. But for me what is most notable is that Fuji is now getting really serious about penetrating the pro market. The new flash system supporting HHS, the new autofocus system with pro Canon DSLR-like focusing 'scenarios,' and the high degree of functionality provided by the booster grip (boost mode, 11 FPS, audio inputs, improved balance for the  larger pro lenses and the ability to serve as a battery charger for two batteries) are key attributes for making the X-T1 a true photojournalist's tool. As a motorsports photographer, the improved AF system is welcome, but the fact that they specifically worked on creating those different AF shooting scenario settings and reduced the viewfinder blackout time to 0.005 seconds is evidence that they are really thinking things through.

"By combining great core competencies, dedicated Voice of the Customer and Kaizen processes and a true passion for photography, Fuji continues to hit them out of the ballpark.

"Looks I may be able to dump that that big, heavy Canon pro gear once and for all. Woo-hoo is right!"

Doug Thacker (partial comment) adds: "I was going to write a comment about this after my excitement subsided sufficiently to allow for rational thinking, but in the meantime Stephen Scharf has said everything I was planning to say, and probably better than I would have said it. I would just add that the grip also further lessens the shutter lag. Less shutter lag is always a good thing. I'm not a huge fan of grips—at all—but given this feature, plus everything else the grip confers, I definitely see it in my future. A camera company that actually gets it is almost too much to hope for, but here it is. Happy days!"

Manish: "No touchscreen, no sale!"

Mike replies: I really liked the touchscreen on the Panasonic GX8—you should try that. First touchscreen I've really liked save for my iPhone and iPad.

Dave Van de Mark: "I have been drooling endlessly over getting a Sony RX1R II, but maybe now the XT-2 will knock me back to 'reality' since I already have an X-Pro1 and two Fuji zooms. I allowed a friend to buy my 35mm ƒ/1.4 a couple years back (ouch, what a mistake). With that lens and just 16 MP to work with, I created a very fine 43x81-inch print from nine stitched images of a redwoods scene. So with 24 MP to work with and Fuji's lens quality, I see little need anymore for 42 MP.  :-)

"My desire for the Sony was really over the the smallest size possible coupled with image quality. So I bet a Fuji X-T10 'II' can't be far off either and I might just wait for that. I am so glad Fuji has finally upped the MP count (to a very adequate size) with their series 2 camera updates."

Mark Cotter: "GAS Strike! I was doing really well convincing myself that the X-Pro1 was still a wonderful camera and I wasn't going to trade it and my X-T1 in for the shininess of the X-Pro2. And then this happens!!!! (Sorry for the superfluous exclamation marks.) Not sure I have the willpower to hold out this time."

Comments

[Paulo Bizarro]

I can not avoid the feeling that after the initial steps of these MILC systems, they start to suffer from a similar disease that affected the systems they are trying so hard to emulate and mimic: the venerable SLR. As the initial enthusiasm wanes, they become boring?

[Arash Moallemi]

I just wish they could address the tethering situation, The current LR set up for the XT-1 is just too slow, but I'm personally very excited about this release!

[Kenneth Tanaka]

Love the double jointed screen! I was just daydreaming about such a design the the day. But on the whole this seems a bit expensive for what it is, given that a Sony A7II costs only a c-note more. But I understand that the value proposition is probably aimed primarily at established Fuji aficionados who love their Fuji lenses.

[D]

Is the XT the flagship, or the X-Pro? I mean, the latter says "Pro" right in the name!

[Doug Thacker]

I was going to write a comment about this after my excitement subsided sufficiently to allow for rational thinking, but in the meantime Stephen Scharf has said everything I was planning to say, and probably better than I would have said it. I would just add that the grip also further lessens the shutter lag. Less shutter lag is always a good thing. I'm not a huge fan of grips - at all - but given this feature, plus everything else the grip confers, I definitely see it in my future.

A camera company that actually gets it is almost too much to hope for, but here it is.

Arash Moallemi: Try Capture One Pro. It does a *much* better job with X-Trans raw files than LR and has arguably a better, more intuitive interface. I haven't tried tethering with it but suspect that works pretty well, too.

Happy days!

[HVJ]

Well, Mr. J, I've been enjoying your Fuji posts the last couple of years. I saw (through) X-T1's VF behindhand at B&H and it was wondrous.

I've used the EM-1 professionally - for video, unusually - since day 1, and while 1080 matters not a jot to the clients (it's a boon to cosmetics companies), the vendor-side norm's 4K.

I'm not sure I can wait for EM-1 II - time being money an' all - and X-T2 will scratch the itch.

Hat-tipped.

[Andy Kochanowski]

The old me would have said, boy, this is great. The new, more mature me says, boy, this is expensive. Much as I like new toys, I have a hard time seeing the price/quality/usefulness ratio here. That's because I honestly can't get why you'd go mirrorless if the body will be this big. I'm a big fan of mirrorless, and gravitated back to one for years, but only as a walkabout camera to use on occasions where size and weight is important. If you're going to have a 132mmx90mm sized body, why not just get a little Nikon or, better yet, Pentax DSLR? Cost will be half or less, all the lenses you want, all made by people who know what they're doing. Maybe, quite possibly, I'm just wrong and haven't paid attention, but all the "full-featured" mirrorless cameras are still catching up to DSLRs in terms of AF, flash and lens selection, except M4/3 where you're stuck with the sensor size.

[But]

I'm sure this will be great, buy a bit surprised it costs more, in the UK, than the Xpro2. I know it's got faster af and a bigger, slightly faster evf. But it doesn't have the lovely and clever and useful and, probably, expensive ovf.

I'm just a bit surprised that's all. Would still make a great bodywork old glass mind.

Mike

[Marcelo Guarini]

I'm very happy for the Fuji fans, looks like a superb camera. I already invested in great Micro 4/3 glass, so I'll keep waiting for the OMD EM1 MkII.
Enjoy the new camera.

[toto]

Ouch! My stomach hurts. I need a huge dose of GAS-X.

[Tom Bell]

Looks great. On balance though not convinced this will outdo the wondrous Pentax K3 11 and that I think will be at a very attractive price.

So I think though tempted I will stick to M43 mirrorless for size and portability and APSC Pentax and THOSE lovely lenses.

Just keep my lovely little X100 .... And stick for good or ill with Bayer. I must say there is something about Fuji colour whatever sensor design they are using .

For those of you going this way , I think you are going to love it.

I write this ...having made my own personal Brexit ... In my case to escape TO Europe !

[Mark]

I don't understand the excitement about this system. It costs as much as full frame, they finally released 1 over-priced strobe with no IR-AF sensor, and the sensor performance with Adobe products is still mixed at best. People forget that the idea behind X-Trans was to handle moire. Every other camera-maker has simply ignored this problem and that's why you see remarkable performance out of cameras like the K-3, D7200, D810, RX1R/II, A7RII etc. Fuji in their infinite (re: marketing) wisdom has given us XTrans which still produces mixed results with the industry standard raw processor, a critical tool in any professional workflow. As someone who was burned by the XPro1, which was a beta camera at best, I quickly moved on. I also watched many of my wedding peers go through the cycle of buying into the system, initially raving about it, only to sell it off in 6 months after they realize the actual gap they're seeing between APS-C and full frame. If they want to impress me they should make a 24x36 XPro with AF that actually works, and a lens line up that is similar to the Contax G2. I know it's hip to be all-ok with tiny, cost saving sensors, but there is a visual penalty for portrait, landscape and even still life work. A 23mm does not render my subjects like a 35mm. Hard pass.